May 28, 2015

I’m
an only child, which on occasion means being spoiled rotten.So, when at age eleven I demanded a puppy, my
parents happily obliged.Granted, the
three of us lived in an eight hundred square foot one bedroom apartment on the
sixth floor of a ten story building with no air conditioning during the
scorching summer months.Did it
matter?Not at all…The four of us simply learned how to
gloriously bake in the one bedroom hell of a sauna.But being treated like a princess was not the
case when visiting my grandparents in the northern part of Romania.

Maramureș,
a region in the northern part of Romania, is a place where time seems to stand
still and hundreds of years of culture and traditions are firmly engrained in
the rugged mentality, hardened way of life and extremely hardworking people.It is here where the nearby volcanic
mountains are proudly covered in a dense layer of snow well into spring; where
locals master the elaborate process of making the famous ţuică drink every year
(my ninety five year old great-grandmother is still deeply invested in this process);
not to mention how chickens and other domestic animals roam freely around the
yard all day long and are considered proud members of the family.Maramureș is also the place where I learned how
to forage for plump beautiful mushrooms in the untamed forests, how to gingerly
maneuver a two handle saw and help my grandfather cut wood at the very young
age of four, and most importantly where I learned how to whip up this rustic
and mouthwatering Feta Cheese and Dill Stuffed
Flatbread.

These
flatbreads are without a doubt a staple in my grandma Aurica’s kitchen – simple,
basic dough stuffed with a cheesy goodness.It can’t get better or easier than that!They are unpretentious and versatile; delicious for breakfast,
satisfying as a snack, great for lunch, and light for a quick dinner.Needless to say, they are a terrific
alternative for the beloved bread.The yeasty
dough winds up tender and sweetly chewy while nestling a perfectly salty and
savory interior.These Feta Cheese and Dill Stuffed Flatbreads
are deeply flavorful without being fussy and I guarantee you won’t stop with
just one.Enjoy!

Feta Cheese and Dill Stuffed Flatbread

By
Simply Romanesco inspired my Grandma Vicki and Grandma Aurica

Makes:
15 stuffed flatbreads

Ingredients:

·500 grams (3 ½ cups) all-purpose flour

·½ teaspoon baking soda

·1 teaspoon salt

·1 packet (7 grams) fast rise dry yeast

·1 ½ teaspoon sugar

·1 large egg, at room temperature

·125 ml (1/2 cup) water

·125 (1/2 cup) whole milk

·50 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil, plus more for
frying

Ingredients for the filling:

·350 grams (12 oz) feta cheese

·A good bunch of fresh dill, chopped (the
green parts of green onions, chopped, also work really well)

Instructions:

In a
large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, yeast and sugar.Mix well.Add the egg, water and milk and, using clean hands, gently combine all
the ingredients.Add the oil and mix
well until the dough gathers into a ball.Knead the dough for a few minutes until it becomes pliable and easy to
work with.Leave the dough in the
bowl.Cover the bowl with a dish towel
and allow the dough to rest and rise for an hour and a half until it almost
doubles in size.

In the
meantime, combine the feta cheese and dill in a medium bowl and set aside.

Divide
the dough into 15 balls.Lightly flour
the work surface and the rolling pin and roll out the balls of dough one at a
time.Add a heaping Tablespoon of the
feta cheese and dill filling and fold the edges of the dough to seal the
filling inside. Set aside and allow the
filled concoction to rest for 10 minutes.Proceed the same way with the rest of the dough.

Lightly
flour the rolling pin and roll out each of the filled doughs careful not to
break the surface and the filling to spill out.

In a
large skillet, heat about ½ cup of vegetable oil over medium heat.Add one or two flatbreads at a time and cook
them over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until
golden-brown.Place the cooked flatbreads
on a platter and cover to keep warm.